Apparatus for illuminating a portable electronic or computing device

ABSTRACT

An illumination device that can use a white light diode in a flexible arm plugs into, and is powered through, a utility power jack of a portable computing device or a utility port of a portable computing device.

This is a continuation application of prior application Ser. No.09/997,281, filed on Nov. 20, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,561,669 which isa continuation of prior application Ser. No. 09/712,692, filed on Nov.13, 2000, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,873, on Nov. 20, 2001,which is a continuation of prior application Ser. No. 09/330,322, filedon Jun. 11, 1999, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,636, on Feb. 13,2001.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is in the field of lighting devices for portableelectronic or computing devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Compact electronic devices with a viewing screen or keypads have becomevery common and quite popular. Such devices have been popular for anumber of years in connection with hand-held, portable, battery-poweredgaming devices. A well-known example of such a device, that has soldmillions of units, is the GAME BOY® device sold by Nintendo. Morerecently, other electronic devices have also included viewing screens,such as portable video cameras and cellular phones. And, of course,portable computers have long had viewing screens. Although thecomplexity and cost of such devices can vary greatly, it is common forsuch devices to use a generally flat, liquid crystal display screen.

Flat, liquid crystal display screens work very well in a well-lit area.However, when such devices are used in dimly lit areas, or at night, itcan be difficult, if not impossible, for a user to see anything in theviewing screen. This problem is magnified when such a screen is used ina device that is meant to be portable, and especially when it is a smalldevice.

If a portable device is sufficiently complex, and generally moreexpensive, such as a portable laptop computer, the device can includelighting within the actual device. An example of such lighting is aportable laptop computer with a backlit screen. However, this solutionis not always economically practical, nor does it necessarily solve theproblem in smaller devices. Also, if an electronic device does not havea viewing screen, then this option is not even available.

To solve this problem, especially in connection with hand-held,portable, battery-powered gaming devices, a number of differentsolutions have been proposed. Such solutions have typically includedadd-on devices with their own source of electrical power. These devicescan be designed to fit onto the electronic device or be designed for usein connection with the electronic device. However, because such devicesuse their own source of electrical power, they tend to be rather bulkyand heavy. In addition, the second source of electrical power increasescost and creates the possibility of another source of power failure.

Accordingly, there is a long felt need for a simple, economical, devicethat can illuminate portable electronic or computing devices without thedrawbacks associated with prior illumination devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally directed to an apparatus forilluminating a portable electronic device that plugs into the electronicdevice and is powered by the power source of the electrical devicethrough an electronic connection to a utility power jack of theelectronic device. The present invention is also generally directed toan apparatus for illuminating a portable computing device with a displayscreen that plugs into the computing device and is powered by the powersource of the computing device through an electronic connection to aport in connection with a power source.

In a first, separate aspect of the present invention, the illuminationdevice is a light emitting diode. A white light diode is especiallypreferred.

In another, separate aspect of the present invention, the illuminationapparatus includes a plug that has a second utility power jack or portadapted to receive a second plug that is in electrical communicationwith the utility power jack or port.

In still another, separate aspect of the present invention, theillumination apparatus can include a flexible arm. This flexible arm canbe adjusted as to adjust the height or angle of the illumination devicerelative to the portable electronic or computing device. In addition,other devices, such as a diffuser, a magnifier, or a regulator forvarying the intensity of light, can also be added to the illuminationapparatus.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to providea low-cost, practical and improved illumination apparatus for a portableelectronic device that is powered by a utility jack of the electronicdevice

It is also a primary object of the present invention to provide alow-cost, practical and improved illumination apparatus for a portablecomputing device that is powered by a utility port of the computingdevice.

This and further objects and advantages will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art in connection with the drawing and the detaileddescription of the preferred embodiment set forth below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 illustrates how a preferred embodiment of the present inventioncan be used with a portable electronic game device, such as a GAME BOY®device. Although this drawing depicts a portable electronic game device,the invention is adaptable to any portable electronic device that has autility power jack in electrical connection with a power source, such asa cellular phone or a video camera.

In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the electronic device 1 hasa viewing screen 2, a power source and a utility power jack. The powersource and utility power jacks are not visible and are shown generallyas 3 and 4, because their location and configuration will vary dependingupon the design of a given portable electronic device. The power source3 may be self-contained, such as batteries in a battery compartment. Thepower source 3 may or may not be augmented by a plug-in capability to anon-portable power source, such as a wall outlet.

The illumination apparatus, shown generally as 5, includes a plug, showngenerally as 6, for plugging the illumination apparatus 5 into theutility power jack 4 of the electronic device 1. The exact configurationof the plug 6 should be designed so as to mate with the utility powerjack 4 and create a mechanical and electrical connection between theutility power jack 4 and the plug 6 when the apparatus 5 is plugged intothe electronic device 1.

The illumination apparatus 5 also includes a body 7 and an illuminationdevice 8. The body 7 connects the illumination device 8 to the plug 6,and the body is preferably comprised of a flexible arm. The illuminationdevice 8 is electrically connected to the utility power jack 4 throughthe plug 6 and the body 7 so that the illumination device 8 is poweredby the power source 2 when the illumination apparatus 5 is plugged intothe electronic device 1. The electrical connection between theillumination device 8 and the plug 6 can be by any suitable means, suchas by a wire (not shown). It is especially preferred that the body 7 canbe adjusted, when the apparatus 5 is plugged into the utility power jack4, to adjust the height and/or the angle of the illumination device 8relative to the electronic device 1.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the illuminationdevice 8 is comprised of a light emitting diode (“LED”) 9 housed in acase housing 10. The housing 10 can also include suitable electronics,such as a resistor 11, or a regulator (not shown) for varying theintensity of light given off by the LED. In an especially preferredembodiment, the LED 9 is a white light diode. The housing can alsoinclude additional features, such as a diffuser lens 9, or a magnifier(not shown).

When the plug 6 of the illumination apparatus 5 is plugged into theutility power jack 4 of the electronic device 1, it necessarily occupiesthe connection that the utility power jack 4 would otherwise provide toa user of the electronic device 1. Because a user of the electronicdevice 1 might need to connect some other device to the utility powerjack 4, it is especially preferred that the plug 6 be constructed so asto include a second utility power jack 12. The second utility power jack12 is adapted to receive a second plug and provide a mechanical andelectrical connection for the second plug equivalent to that which isprovided by the utility power jack 4. Thus, the second utility powerjack 12 will provide electrical communication for the second plug withthe utility power jack 4 when the second plug is plugged into the plug 6and the plug 6 is plugged into the utility power jack 4.

The present invention is also adaptable to a portable computing devicewith a display screen that is not illuminated by the portable computingdevice. In such an embodiment, the illumination apparatus is pluggedinto a utility port of the computing device in electrical connectionwith a power source instead of the utility power jack 4 of theelectronic device 1. In such a device, the utility port can be any portthat allows connection of additional products or communication devices,or cables, or any additional accessory or product. The illuminationapparatus can have a second utility port adapted to receive a secondplug that is in electrical communication with the utility port when thesecond plug is plugged into the plug and the plus is plugged into theutility port. In all other respects, the structure and function of theillumination apparatus would be the same as for the illuminationapparatus 5 described above in connection with electronic device 1.

It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that stillfurther changes and modifications in the actual concepts describedherein can readily be made without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention as defined by the following claims.

1. A method of using an apparatus with a handheld portable video gamedevice having a utility port in electrical connection with a powersource, comprising: providing an apparatus including a plug for pluggingthe apparatus into the utility port of the handheld portable video gamedevice and an illumination device to be electrically connected to theutility port of the handheld portable video game device via at least theplug, the illumination device powered by the power source when theapparatus is plugged into the utility port; coupling the plug of theapparatus with the utility port of the handheld portable video gamedevice; and powering the illumination device of the apparatus via theutility port and power source of the handheld portable video gamedevice.
 2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the handheld portablevideo game device has a non-backlit display screen.
 3. A method asrecited in claim 1, wherein the illumination device is a light emittingdiode.
 4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the apparatus includesa second utility port to receive a second plug that is in electricalcommunication with the utility port when the second plug is plugged intothe second utility port and the plug is plugged into the utility port,and the method further comprises coupling a second plug to the secondutility port.
 5. An apparatus for use with a handheld portable videogame device having a utility port in electrical connection with a powersource, comprising: a plug for plugging the apparatus into the utilityport of the handheld portable video game device; and an illuminationdevice to be electrically connected to the utility port of the handheldportable video game device via at least the plug; wherein theillumination device is powered by the power source of the handheldportable video game device when the apparatus is plugged into theutility port of the handheld portable video game device.
 6. An apparatusas recited in claim 5, wherein the handheld portable video game devicehas a non-backlit display screen and the illumination device illuminatesthe non-backlit display screen of the handheld portable video gamedevice when the apparatus is plugged into the utility port of thehandheld portable video game device.
 7. An apparatus as recited in claim5, wherein the illumination device is a light emitting diode.
 8. Anapparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein the apparatus includes a secondutility port adapted to receive a second plug that is in electricalcommunication with the utility port when the second plug is plugged intothe second utility port and the plug is plugged into the utility port.